GOD OF CREATION AND LAXATIVE RECIPE

SRI MAHARISHI composed a verse in Tamil over which an English lady devotee grew very jubilant and looked forward to reading in English translation, taking it to be a hymn in praise of lord of creation. I turned out too e a laxative recipe, which Bhagavan had written with his own hand in ten long lines. Bhagavan is bubbling with joy over it and is showing it to everybody like a school boy who has written his first poem. (29th August 1949)

FROM GURU RAMANA MEMORIES AND NOTES BY S.S.COHEN.

BHAGAWAN AND UPANISHADS

Once a devotee asked Bhagawan

" How many Upanishads do one have to read to understand the SELF?"

Bhagawan in his usual style answered " How many mirrors do you need to see your face ?"

Essence of All Upanishads is the same. Tat Tvam Asi ,you are that. This is put in different way in different upanishads.

Bhagawan's knowledge of Self is not from the study of scriptures but from experience. Assimilating the inner meaning of one single Upanishad is enough to realize WHO WE ARE?

JAI SRI RAMANA

Ramana Maharishi -Interviews with Devotees -II

Annamali swamy ,Sellaperumal originally , came to Bhagawan in 1928. He was closely involved in many construction projects for 10 years under the direct supervision of Bhagawan and shifted to Palakottu on Bhagawan's advice near ashram and lived there alone in meditation.He  was absorbed in his Master on November 9, 1995. He was 89-years-old.Two important books Living by the Words of Bhagawan and Annamalai Swamy -final Talks by David Godman gives an account of Annamalai swmay's Association with Bhagawan and his expereinces.

Sampoorna Ammal : Another stauch devotee of Bhagawan stayed in Ashram and was involved in kitchen work. She left her mortal body and got absorbed into the Lotus feet of Bhagawan on the 19th April 1993. The day was Bhagawan's Araadhana Day at prodasha time of 6.15 PM

N.N.Rajan (1906-1994) was a devotee of Bhagawan. More Talks with Sri Ramana Maharaishi is the book which contains his documentation of Bhagawan's Dialogues withh devotees in his presence.

Krishna Swamy is a native of Srirangam and came to Bhagawan in 1936. People mistook him for his abrupt and sharp talk.He was bhagawan's attendent till Bhagawan's Mahanirvana.Krishna Swamy was over ninety years of age when he was absorbed into the holy hill of Arunachala early hours of 1996

Kunju Swami hails from Palakkad, Kerala.  He came to Bhagavan Ramana, when He was on the Hill.  He had good omens.  Mother Azhagamma was also there at that time.  Bhagavan Ramana made
Kunju Swami feel the peace in His presence.  A couple of weeks passed.  Kunju Swami felt that the Samadhi anbuhava, the peace,that he had with Bhagavan Ramana can be attained even at his
house in Kerala.  He returned to Kerala.  Within a few days, all the Samadhi anubhava evaporated.  He became full of wrong emotions and 'normal' life tendencies.  He rushed to Bhagavan Ramana back.  Bhagavan Ramana smiled at him and said:  Be here.  This Place (Tiruvannamalai) will only give you permanent abidance.  You do not go elsewhere.  From that day, Kunju Swami never left Bhagavan Ramana and he used to go out of Tiruvannamalai only when Bhagavan Ramana told him to go.On this day, in the year 1992, Kunju Swami, one of the earliest devotees of Bhagavan Ramana attained merger at the feet of
Bhagavan Ramana.

Ramana Maharishi -Interviews of Devotees-Part I

These are interviews of Bhagawan's Devotees who saw him while still in body.

Sri Ramananda Saraswathi , Sri Munugala  S. Venkataramaiah (poorvasharamam), son of Naga sundaram  Ayyar Bhagawan's  younger brother, was a government offcial before moving to ashramam in Arunachalam and acted as a translator  to many devotees for Bhagawan.He also translated many advatic texts like Atma Prabhoda Deepika , Kaivalya Navaneetham and Tripura Rahasya into English.He compiled a book of dialogues between Bhagawan and other devotees under the title Talks with Sri Ramana Maharishi. 

Prof K. Swaminathan : K.Swaminathan studied in Madras and oxford before teaching english at Sri Meenakshi college in Chidambaram.He worked at Presidency college Madras and was also the Principal of GovernmentArts college.He was given the monumental task of editing Complete Works of Mahatma Ghandi and was aswared with Padma bhushan. In 1940 Swaminathan came to Bhagawan which turned his life.He spent many Sundays inthe Ashram. He was the associate editor and then Chief Editor of Mountain path for many year in 1980s.He translated 1254 verses of Guru Vachaka Kovai of Murugunar in to english under the title The Garland of Guru's Sayings.He wrote Bhagawan's biography which was published by National Bok trust Delhi.He left his mortal body at the age of 98. 

Rajapalayam Ramani Ammal : Ramani Ammal was an ardient devotee of Sri Ramana.She was the cousin of chief minister of Madras Kumaraswami Raja ,who send her a copy of Bharati's Biography of Bhagawan Ramana , Ramana vijayam in 1946. She was a devotee of Lord Krishna since childhood and once she has a vision of a sage ,whom she realised to be Sri Ramana later on. Influenced by Bhagawan's biography she reached Arunachalam with the help of her brother. She was devoted to Bhagawan throughout her life. When Bhagawan left his body ,she decided to fast until death. Then she had vision of Bhagawan in a cave of Arunachala surroiunded by rishis, Bhagawan offered her prasad , an indication to stop the fast.

N.R. Krishnamurthy Iyer, a Professor of American College, Madurai, was a devotee of Bhagavan Ramana, right from his early days. He had a see-saw relationship with Bhagavan Ramana, sometime believing Him, sometime distrusting Him!  He was suddenly bedridden in 1933-34 with multiple ailments, of tonsilitis, dysentery, asthma and vomiting phelgm and blood.  One evening, he felt that he would not live even for the next two days.  He told this to his wife, Subbulakshmi, who started crying.  Suddenly that evening, Vilacheri Mani Iyer came to his house.  He had brought vibhuti and kumkum from Asram.  He rubbed the holy ashes on NRK's forehead and pierced the midbrow with kumkum.  Suddenly NRK felt a thrill of joy which shook his entire frame and he strong felt that Bhagavan Ramana had infused vigorous health into him!  Needlesss to say that he felt better from that day, and got completely cured within weeks thereafter!

(Source:  Arunachala's Ramana, Boundless Ocean of Grace. Volume 2.
Sri Ramansramam, Tiruvannamalai.)

T.R Kanakammal, a great devotee of Bhagavan and student of Muruganar Swamigal merged into Bhagavan on Ist January,2010, on the Jayanthi day of Bhagavan while she went around the shrine of Bhagavan at Sri Ramanashram, Tiruvannamalai. Her greatest contribution was her commentaries in Tamil on the complete poems of Bhagavan's Nool Thirattu. She has also written a book on reminescences  of Bhagavan. Like Meera merging with Lord Krishna in Dwaraka Temple,yet another miracle of a woman devotee absorbed in Bhagavan Ramana in his shrine at Sri Ramanashram. (Source arunachala-ramana.org).

THESE VIDEOS HAVE BEEN TAKEN FROM OTHER SOURCES ON INTERNET THESE WILL BE REMOVED IF IT BREACHES THE COPY RIGHT ACT.

A Visit to Arunachala

THE HOLY HILL OF ARUNACHALA

MATRUBHUTESWARA ALAYAM AND BHAGAWAN ADISHTANAM TEMPLE

BHAGAWAN'S ROOM

LAXMI THE COW

JACKIE THE DOG

CROW BLESSED BY BHAGAWAN

VALLI THE DEER BLESSED BY BHAGAWAN

ARUNACHALA TEMPLE VIEW FROM THE TOP OF THE HOLY HILL

BHAGAWAN RAMNANA MAHARISHI'S ADISHTANAM

DEVOTEES DOING PARAYANA

BHAGAWAN SEATED IN THE HALL

ARUNACHALA MAIN TEMPLE SHIKARAM

VIEW OF NANDI FROM ONE ANGLE ON THE TOP OF THE HOLY HILL

CLOSE UP SHOT OF NANDI ON THE HOLY HILL

I was very fortunate to visit Bhagawan's Arunachala in 2009.These are some of the photographs from the visit.

Guru Ramana -Significance of Guru

Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi:

I have not said that a Guru is not necessary. But a Guru need not always be in human form. First a person thinks that he is inferior and that there is a superior, all-knowing, all powerful God who controls his own and the world's destiny and worships him or does bhakti. When he reaches a certain stage and becomes fit for enlightenment, the same God whom he was worshipping comes as Guru and leads him onward. That Guru comes only to tell him, `That God is within yourself. Dive within and realize'. God, Guru and the Self are the same.

Realization is the result of the Master's (Guru's) grace, more than teachings, lectures, meditations, etc. They are only secondary aids, whereas the former is the primary and essential cause.

Guru's grace is always there. You imagine it to be something somewhere high up in the sky, far away and which has to descend. It is really inside you in your Heart, and the moment, by any of the methods, you effect subsidence or merger of the mind into its source, the grace rushes forth,
spouting as from a spring from within you.

Contact with jnanis is good. They will work through silence. A Guru is not the physical form. Hence His contact remains even after the physical form of the Guru vanishes.

After your bhakti to God has matured you, God comes in the shape of a Guru and from outside pushes your mind inside, while being inside as Self He draws you there from within. Such a Guru is needed generally, though not for very rare and advanced souls.

One can go to another Guru after one's Guru passes away.

But after all, Gurus are one, as none of them are the form. Mental contact is always the best.

Satsangh means association with Sat or Reality. One who knows or has realized Sat is also regarded as Sat. Such association is absolutely necessary for all. Sankara has said, "In all the three worlds there is no boat like satsangh to carry one safely across the ocean of births and deaths."

Guru not being physical, His contact will continue after His form vanishes. If one Jnani exists in the world, His influence will be felt by or benefit all people in the world, and not simply His immediate disciples. As described in Vedanta Chudamani, all the people in the world can be put
under four categories: The Guru's disciples, bhaktas, those who are indifferent to Him and those who are hostile to Him. All these will be benefited by the existence of the Jnani — each in his own way and to various degrees.

From the book, Divine Grace Through Total Self-Surrender by D.C. Desai

BHAGAWAN'S HOLY FEET

BHAGAWAN and SANNYASA

Ghambhiram Seshayya one of the ardent devotees of Bhagawan as a Municipal Overseer at Tiruvannamali and used to visit Bhagawan to resolve his doubts on spiritual matters. Bhagawan was only 21 years old and was still living in Virupaksha Cave on the Holy Hill of Arunachala.The Question and Answers during their conversations transformed into a book Vichaara-Sangraham.

The question of Sannyasa raised by Seshayya and Bhagawan explained this in his lucid manner.

Devotee:What is the real purpose of sannyasa?

Bhagawan : Sannyasa is only the renunciation of the 'I' thought, and not the rejection of the external objects.He who has renounced the 'I' thought thus remains the same whether he is alone or in the midst of the extensive samsaara.Just as when the mind is concentrated on some object, it does not observe other things even though they may be proximate , so also , although the sage may perform any number of empirical acts , in reality her performs nothing , because he makes the  mind rest in the Self without letting the 'I' thought arise.Even as in a dream one appears to fall head downwards, while in reality one is unmoving ,so also the ignorant person ie the person of whom the 'I' thought has not ceased , although he remains alone in constant meditation , is in fact one who performs all empirical actions. Thus the wise ones have said.

(Taken from English Translation of Vichara-Sangraham)

Meditaion -Bhagawatham

Although the main aim of my blog is to post about Bhagawan Ramana, I take some freedom to post some thing on meditation.Bhagawan Ramana never encouraged any meditation technique,rather advised everyone to contemplate on the question "Who Am I" .This is not easy and will need strong conviction. In Bhagavath Geetha Arjuna asks Sri Krishna how one can quieten the mind, Sri Krishna agreed that its not that easy ,even for a "Maha Bahu", one who has immense physical strength.He then suggests Arjuna to do Pranayama and Omkaram.

Same Sri Krishna in the 11th Canto of Bhagavatham answers Uddhava and reveals a technique for meditation.


Yevam Pranavasamyuktam pranameva samabyaseth |
dasakrutvasthra shavanam maasadarvaag jithanilaha ||

(From  Bhagavath Ratnakaram by Sri Sri Sri VidyaPrakashananda Giri Swamy page 746 )


Literal meaning : One who does pranayama and recites Omkaram 10 times thrice a day for one month ,will achive control of mind.

This is a very practical technique and will not need a physical Guru, as the Jagadguru Sri Krishna himself advocated this technique.In this age of commercial meditation techniques and Gurus, who will impose a pseudo stress in your life and sell their technique as a medication , this technique is of immense use

I  have been practicing this for the last  few days  and found it really effective. Peaceful mind and a good sleep are the first results in the last two weeks.And I have no doubt this will prove to be immensely helpful in long run.

Pranayama can be done three times ( Poorka , kumbaka , Rechaka ) ,but it is actually done 10 times. Then followed by 10 repetitions of OM.And as it is  not possible for us to do thrice a day, I do it twice.


I hope few of us will start using this technique and benifit from this.

JAI SRI RAMANA

GOD and MAYA

Ramana the embodiment of advaitha and silence is his way of teaching. He has not given any discourses. He neither advised any specific meditation techniques. No long retreats for his devotees or followers. He rarely spoke ,but when he spoke it meant volumes.Smt Suri Nagamma has collected such conversations when Bhagawan spoke to someone.She kept writing to her brother on the day to day activities of Ramanashramam.

GOD -IS HE SOMEONE TO SEE?

Once a young man came to Bhagawan and asked with stern voice.

"Have you seen GOD?" in Tamil (Nee Daivam Pattheyaa?)

The man obviously read a lot about Swami Vivekananda and try to imitate him by asking the question.

Bhagawan ,as he knew everything , with complete innocence replied with a question

"Who is He?" ( Avaru Yaaru)

The young man got startled by the response and left after a while. Bhagawan was teaching that GOD is not something external to SEE ,neither it is something INSIDE.But we ourselves are the DIVINE.

But to realise this we will need the devine grace of Guru either in body or without.The presence of Bhagawan can be felt even by reading his divine Raman Leela.Ramanashramam is wonderful and can feel the Saint's grace.

MAYA - WE ALWAYS FALL INTO

A devotee asked Bhagawan "Bhagawan ,what is Maya?"

Bhagawan sat in silence.After a while Dr.Sarvepalii Radhakrishnan came to Bhagawan and spent some time at His feet.As he was leaving all the ashram staff and devotees followed him. Bhagawan was left alone with the first devotee.

Bhagawan commented "This is Maya".

By this Bhagawan meant that we always keep chasing earthly pleasures leaving behind SELF. The staff and devotees who were serving Bhagawan left with Dr.Radhakrishnan leaving behind HIM.

When the Maya (Ignorance) is swept away we remain as SELF.

Note: This post is just to share few things about Bhagawan.Not that I want to teach anyone.I just like to read ,write and think about Bhagawan.A visit to Ramanashramam has changed my life.

"Namah Skandhaaya Vidmahe Rushi Sakshadhemahi

Thanno Ramana Prachodayaath"

Jai Sri Ramana